Process of fabrication of a toy and toy obtained by this process



March 3, 1970 R. LANG 3,497,993 v PROCESS OF FABRICATION OF A TOY AND TOY OBTAINED BY THIS PROCESS Filed May 10. 1966 United States Patent 3,497,993 PROCESS OF FABRICATION OF A TOY AND TOY OBTAINED BY THIS PROCESS Rene Lang, Divonne-les-Bains, France Filed May 10, 1966, Ser. No. 548,974 Claims priority, application Switzerland, Nov. 1, 1965, 15,040/ 65 Int. Cl. A63h 3/02 US. Cl. 46-158 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This disclosure relates to a process for making a toy having an elastic plush covering stretched on a shell having a desired form comprising providing a covering slightly smaller than the shell, assembling the shell from moulded pieces and successively inserting the pieces in the covering, assembling at least some of these pieces before said insertion and closing the covering to give the toy its finished appearance.

The present invention has for its object a process of fabrication of a toy comprising a shaped covering stretched on a rigid shell having the shape of the toy.

The invention has also for its object the toy obtained by this process.

It is known to make toys of plush from a covering of plush fashioned to the exterior shape of the toy and in which is disposed a rigid frame by introducing it through an opening of the covering. The different parts of the covering are then filled with straw or wood fibre packed around the frame; then the covering is closed on the filling material by a seam. The process is long and not very economical for it necessitates considerable handwork.

Also known are toys constituted by a rigid shell having the form of the corresponding finished toy and in which are fixed by glueing some pieces of plush previously cut on the basis of patterns. These toys have obvious disadvantages: the pieces of plush are always liable to come unstuck under the action of differences of temperature or of humidity to which the toys can be subjected, and any malformation of the pieces of plush can leave part of the surface of the shell uncovered.

These disadvantages are found in the fabrication of traditional toys covered in fabric, for example in the case of dolls, or covered in oil cloth.

The present invention aims to remedy these disadvantages, and the process according to the invention is distinguished from the known processes by the fact that the covering is formed in elastic material and has dimensions slightly smaller than those of the shell, and this shell comprises an assembly of moulded pieces. These pieces are inserted successively in the covering which elastically grips the pieces, while at least certain of the pieces are assembled before they are covered entirely by the covering, and finally the covering is closed on the assemblage of the pieces constituting the shell to give to the toy its finished appearance.

The annexed drawing represents, by way of example, one embodiment of the object of the invention.

FIGURE 1 is an exploded view of a moulding in several parts, intended to represent a horse.

FIGURE 2 is a front view of the fore legs.

FIGURE 3 is a front view of the hind legs.

FIGURE 4 shows the horse of FIGURE 1 assembled.

9,497,993 Patented Mar. 3, 1970 The toy illustrated is a horse comprising an interior body designated generally by reference numeral 1 formed of a moulding in plastic material in three parts, 2, 3 and 4. The body proper 2 is moulded in a single piece with the head 5, and has at its hind part a transverse housing 6 with two walls 7 inclined towards the interior, these walls opening out on each side in the lateral flanks 8 inclined towards the exterior. The housing 6 is intended to receive a piece 9 connecting the two hind legs 4 and having a middle transverse part 10 with inclined Walls 11 intended to fit in the complementary shaped housing 6 of the body 2. The inclined flanks 11 limit laterally the middle part 10 and are intended to come into contact with the flanks 8 of the body 2. The pair of hind legs 4 is fixed on each side of the body 2 by means of a screw 12.

At the front, the body 2 also has a transverse housing 13 with inclined walls 14 and with lateral flanks 14 the same as those of the housing 6 described above. This housing 13 is intended to receive the pair of fore legs 3 connected by a transverse piece 15 of complementary shape to that of the housing 13, that is to say, comprising inclined transverse walls 16 and lateral flanks 17 corresponding to the walls 14 and to the flanks 14 respectively of the housing 13.

The head 5 has depressions 18 in which the ears (not shown) are to be fixed and depressions 19 for the fixation of the eyes (also not shown).

A rigid rod 21 preferably threaded, is fixed at the end of each leg, these rods serving to fix the horse on a wheeled or rocking support.

To cover the body 1 with plush, the following procedure is carried out:

First of all a covering 20 is fashioned in plush having some elasticity, and then the hind legs 4 and the forelegs 3 are successively inserted in the corresponding parts of this covering 20 which grips these legs elastically. The pairs of legs are fitted in the respective housings 6 and 13 of the body 2, and are fixed there by means of screws 12 before covering the body 2, and head 5, with the covering 20. Finally this covering is closed which grips elasti cally the assembled parts as represented in FIGURE 4.

Alternatively, the hind legs 4 can be fixed to the body 2, before being inserted in the covering. Then the hind legs 4 and separately the fore legs 3, are inserted in the covering 20, and the fore legs are fixed to the body 2.

The covering is then pulled up over the body 2 (including the head 5), and the covering is sewed up.

The securing rods 21 project through the plush covering at the end of the legs.

In a modification, the body of the toy could have a housing for fitting the head as well as housings for fitting of the pairs of fore legs and hind legs. This solution would permit the body to be adapted to parts of different animals, so that the same body could be used to make, for example, a cow or a sheep etc., as well as a horse.

The process for making the toy described has the advantage of eliminating the manual operations of stuffing the covering. It permits a fabrication in a large series while achieving an economy of time and of hand work. Besides, the use of a moulding in plastic material permits any desired form to be obtained with precision, and the fact of using a covering of elastic plush has the advantage of giving to the toy a clean aspect without folds or faults.

What is claimed is:

1. A toy comprising an inner shell of a given dimension composed of an assembly of moulded parts and an elastic plush covering of a dimension smaller than said shell stretched over all of said shell, said toy representing an animal with a plurality of legs, said shell comprising a purality of pieces assembled together, one of the pieces comprising a body with a head, and pieces comprising a pair of fore legs and a piece comprising a pair of hind legs for each pair of fore and hind legs a transverse piece integral with the legs of each respective pair fixing said paired legs in fixed lateral relationship, said body having recess and each pair of legs being provided with a complementary recess adapted to fit in said housings of said body and securing means for retaining said legs in said body. 1

5 RUSSELL R. KINSEY, Primary Examiner R. F. CUTTING, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

